Incinerator toilet



F 1965 E. B. BLANKENSHIP INCINERATOR TOILET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.26, 1961 FIG. 3.

E. BA YNE BL ANKENSHIP I N VE N TOR ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1965 Filed Dec.26, 1961 mu mm E. B. BLANKENSHIF INCINERATOR TOILET 2 Sheets Sheet 2 E.BAYNE BLANK E NSHIP INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,1624%INCINERATOR TGILET Ernest Bayne Blankenship, R0. Box 35,164, Dallas 35,Tex. Filed Dec. 26, 1961,3983. No. 162,028

8 Claims. (Cl. l1tl9) This invention relates to apparatus for thedisposal of human body wastes, and more particularly to incinerator typetoilets for use where water supplies are limited, for example, :ontrains, airplanes, buses and campsites.

An object of the invention is to provide a new arrangement andcombination of parts in an incinerator toilet for greater efliciency inconsuming wastes.

A particular object of the invention is to provide improved efiiciencyby arranging the heater inside of and adjacent the inner wall of theincinerator chamber for direct radiation of the wastes to be consumed.

Another object, in addition to the foregoing object, is to provide aninwardly projecting flanged reflector around the periphery ofincinerator chamber to reflect heat down wardly and thereby reduce heatat the seat which is located above the heater.

Another object is to provide an improved catalyst holding constructionfor arranging the catalyst around the incinerator whereby the efiluentfrom the incinerator passes over an increased area for promoting maximumodor reduct-ion.

A further object is to provide an improved ash pan and mounting thereforincluding an effective seal around the upper edge of the pan, togetherwith means accommodating expansion and contraction of the pan due totemperature changes.

These and other objects will become apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a broken side elevational and vertical sectional view of anincinerator toilet in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a broken sectional view of the lower portion of theapparatus shown in FIGURE 1 and taken approximately along the centerthereof.

FIGURE 3 is a broken sectional View similar to FIG- URE 2 but taken at:a right angle with reference thereto.

FIGURE 4 is a broken plan sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of an incinerator toilet showing :apreferred design for the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a broken top plan view of FIGURE 5. FIGURE 7 i anelevational view of the blower of the invention and showing theincinerator outlet connected therewith.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the incinerator cover actuatingmechanism. Y

FIGURE 9 is a wiring diagram of an electric circuit for operating theinvention, and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the cam-switch arrangement employedin a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings, the numeral 16 designates a generally rectangularhousing having a downwardly and inwardly inclined front wall 1-1,vertical side walls 12, rear wall 13 and bottom 14. A top 15 fits theupper end of the otherwise open housing, and which top has a dependingupper portion in of a closet bowl formed therein. Above and around thebowl portion 1a: there is a seat 17, together with a lid '18, both ofwhich are hinged, at 19, to the rear upper surface of the top 15.

Within the lower portion of the housing 10, and spaced from the walls11, 12 and 13, there is an incinerator chamber 20 which has a removableash pan 21 therebeneath. The ash pan 21 is preferably of aluminum, butother metals having high heat conductivity may be used. A metal panhaving a conductivity of at least 0.25 calorie/ cm. /cm./sec./ C. ispreferred. The side and rear walls 22 and 23 extend to the bottom 14 ofthe housing 10, and the forward wall 24 extendsto the top of the ash pan21.

Within the incinerator chamber 26) there is a vertically disposed coiledheating element 25, hereinafter referred to as the heater, and aroundwhich there is a perforated wall 26, hereinafter referred to as the wallreflector. An inwardly and downwardly directed reflector 27 is integralwith the upper periphery of the wall reflector 26 and is positionedabove the heater 25 The-wall reflector 25 and heater 25 aresubstantially square whenwiewed from above, as shown in FIGURE 4. Spacedfrom both the incinerator chamber wall and the reflector wall there is avertical perforated retaining wall 28 which is outwardly flanged at itsupper end to engage the incinerator chamber wall 24 below the top of thelatter. This arrangement provides a receptacle for an odor reducingcatalyst 29 and a catalyst hopper 3t thereabove.

Mounted on springs 31 on the hopper bottom 14 there are parallel,forwardly and rearward-1y directed slides 32 which bear against thebottom of the ash pan 21. Around the upper outer surface of the verticalwall 34 there is a eal 35 of soft insulating material, such as asbestosbatting. The top of the seal 35 makes sliding contact with the bottom 36of the incinerator chamber 20. The seal is supported on an outwardlydirected flange 37 on the outer surface of the vertical walls 34 of theash pan 21. The sides :of the ash pan 21 extend outwardly through anopeniug 38 in the forward housing wall 11 where they are provided with acover plate 39 which is larger than said opening and which plate isprovided with a handle 40 on it outer surface. Within the ash pan 21 andmounted on vertical supports 41 there are closely spaced horizontal rods42 for supporting solid waste deposited thereon.

On top of the incinerator chamber 29 there is a sliding cover 43comprised of fore and aft rectangular members 44 and 4-5 connected witheach other by a hinge 46. Both members 44 and 45 have laterallyprojecting studs 47 and 48 on opposite sides thereof. The rear studs 48engage channel tracks 49 secured in opposing parallel relation onopposite side walls 12 of the hopper '10. As particularly shown inFIGURE 1, the tracks 49 are vertical at the rear of the hopper 10 andextend downwardly and curve forwardly to a location where they parallelthe sides of the rear cover 45 when the latter is in closed position.

The cover 43 is slidably moved forwardly and rearwardly by an actuatingmechanism 50, best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 8, and which mechanismis comprised of vertically extending arms 51 having longitudinal slots52 in the upper ends thereof for engaging the studs 47 on the forwardcover member '44, a transverse shaft 53 which is journaled at its end inbearings 54 on the hopper bottom :14. The armsSl are rigid with theshaft 53 whereby said arms will operate in unison. Forwardly of one arm'51 there is a depending bel-lcrank 55 pivotally mounted on the adjacenthousing wall 12 by means of a stub shaft 56. An integral lever 57extends forwardly through 'perature rise.

an opening 58 in the forward housing wall 11 where the lever is providedwith a pedal 59. The depending end of the cell crank 55 is pivotallyconnected with the adjacent arm 51 above the shaft 53 by means of a link69. A hole 61 is provided in the depending portion of the bell crank 55for receiving the end of a coiled tension spring 62, the remaining endof which is connected with the forward housing wall 11.

Beneath the upper bowl portion 16 there is a bowl 63 pivotally connectedto the rear thereof by means of a hinge 64, and mounted on the uppersurface of the forward cover member 44, there is an upstandingrearwardly directed leaf spring 65 which makes contact with the bottomof the bowl when the cover 43 is in its closed or partially closedposition. In front of the forward cover member 44, and stationarilysecured to the incinerator chamber 20, there is a baffle or splash guard66 which extends upwardly above the lower edge of the upper bowl portion16.

Secured to the back wall 23 of the incinerator chamber there is acentrifugal blower 67, driven by an electric motor 68, the dischargeduct 69 of which blower extends horizontally and adjacent the channel 76formed by the spaced relation of the perforated catalyst retaining wall28 and the incinerator chamber walls 22, 23 and 24. The extending end ofthe blower duct 69 is closed, as at 71, and perpendicular to the ductadjacent the closed end there is a vent pipe 72 which extends throughthe rear housing wall 13. An opening 73 in the rear chamber wall 23 hasa baffle 74 thereover directing the discharge from the channel 70 to thevent pipe 72. The opening 73 and baflle 74 are located in the blowerduct 69 to cause a venturi eifect therein and draw efiluent outwardlyfrom V the chamber 20 and over the catalyst 29, the latter being in theform of metallic oxide pellets.

Aluminum oxide pellets surround the chamber in the manner described inthe foregoing and are activated by the heater 25. A characteristic ofaluminum oxide, A1 0 as an odor reducing catalyst in accordance with theinvention is the pellets tend to flake over a period of time and reducein size. The supply of pellets in the catalyst hopper automaticallyreplenish the pellets between the perforated reflector 25 and perforatedretaining wall 28 by gravity. Other suitable metallic oxides may beemployed, for example, magnesium oxide.

Referring now to FIGURES 9 and 10, the heater 25 is supplied from apower source through a timer 75 of conventional construction. One lead76 is connected with the heater 25 after passing through a normallyclosed thermoswitch 77, which operates on temperature rise. Thethermoswitch 77 is located in the upper portion of the housing 10 andprotects against overheating in the event of blower failure. The samelead 76, without passing through the thermoswitch 77 is connected with aterminal, not shown, of the blower motor 68. The remaining lead 78 isdivided within the timer 75 where it is connected with two normally openswitches connected with the heater and blower, respectively. Between thetimer switch 78 and the heater 25, and located within and near thebottom of the housing 10 there is a normally closed thermoswitch 81which opens on tem- Similarly, between the timer switch 89 and theblower motor 68 and located within the housing 10, there is a normallyopen thermoswitch 82 which maintains the blower motor in operation afterthe last referred to normally closed switch 81 opens. After a weselected time, the timer switches 79 and 8t) de-energize the heater25pand the blower motor 68. schematically shown in FIGURE 10 there aretwo earns 83 and 84 on a single shaft 85, which cams operate timerswitches 79 and 80. The motor'86 and gear train 87 comprise a part ofthe conventional timing mechanism 75. The arrangelined with paper priorto each use of the apparatus, or the same may be coated with Teflon orsimilar resin having a slick surface and capable of withstandingconsiderable heat. Small amounts of water may be used for flushing thebowl prior to emptying it.

The heater 25 is activated by means of the timer 75 either prior to, orsubsequent to, emptying the bowl 63. The emptying operation is carriedout by stepping on the pedal 59, which moves the parallel arms 51rearwardly. The rear cover member 45 tilts upwardly between the tracks49 and the forward cover member 44 moves back far enough to allow thebowl to drop its contents into the incinerator 20. The spring 62 returnsthe cover 43 to its closed position, and during the closing operationthe leaf spring 65 on the forward cover member 44 makes contact with thebowl 63, returning the same to its closed position. The heating andblower cycles have been described in the foregoing, but it is pointedout that the heating of the catalyst and the drawing of the efliuenttherethrough by the blower is an operation which extends entirely aroundthe incinerator chamber. It is also pointed out that the heater isinside of the wall reflector 26 whereby the waste to be consumed issubjected to direct radiation as well as reflected radiation.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shownand described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a waterless toilet,

a housing,

a vertically disposed incinerator chamber within said housing and spacedfrom the walls thereof, said chamber being open at its upper and lowerends,

an ash pan within said housing beneath said incinerator chamber,

a cover mounted on top of said incinerator chamber,

means for moving said cover,

a reflector wall within said incinerator chamber and positioned aroundthe inner area thereof,

a heater within said reflector wall and adjacent thereto,

said reflector wall being perforated,

a perforated channel around said perforated reflector wall,

a blower, means communicating said blower with said channel, said blowerbeing mounted in a position to draw air from said channel, and meansdischarging efiiuent from said blower.

2. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1,

the construction including an odor reducing catalyst between saidperforated reflector wall and said perforated channel.

3. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 2,

the construction wherein said odor reducing catalyst isin the form ofaluminum oxide pellets of a size large enough to be retained betweensaid perforated reflector wall and said perforated channel.

4. In a waterless closet as defined in claim 2, the construction whereinthe odor reducing catalyst between said perforated reflector wall andsaid perforated channel is in the form of metallic oxide pellets, and areservoir above and communicating with the space between said wall andsaid channel for containing additional said pellets.

5. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1,

the construction including opposing upwardly curved tracks on oppositesides of said housing,

and laterally projecting studs on opposite sides of said cover slidablyengaging said tracks.

6. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1,

the construction including an inwardly and downwardly directed reflectoraround the upper periphery of said reflector wall and over said heater.

7. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1, the constructionincluding,

a seal around the upper periphery of said ash pan making sliding contactwith the side walls of said incinerator chamber.

8. In a waterless toilet as defined in claim 1, the constructionincluding,

leads connecting a power source with said heater and said blower,

a timer connected with at least one of said leads,

said timer including cam operated switches connected with said heaterand said blower.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,121,733 6/38Cottrell 110-8 5 2,882,534 4/59 Jauch et al. 110-9 X 2,903,709 9/59Blankenship et a1. 110-9 X 3,020,559 2/62 Blankenship et a1. 1109 JAMESW. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

10 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examineia'

1. IN A WATERLESS TOILET, A HOUSING, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED INCINERATOR CHAMBER WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND SPACED FROM THE WALLS THEREOF, SAID CHAMBER BEING OPEN AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, AN ASH PAN WITHIN SAID HOUSING BENEATH SAID INCINERATOR CHAMBER, A COVER MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAID INCINERATOR CHAMBER, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID COVER, A REFLECTOR WALL WITHIN SAID INCINERATOR CHAMBER AND POSITIOND AROUND THE INNER AREA THEREOF, A HEATER WITHIN SAID REFLECTOR WALL AND ADJACENT THERETO, AND REFLECTOR WALL BEING PERFORATED, A PREFORATED CHANNEL AROUND SAID PERFORATED REFLECTOR WALL, A BLOWER, MEANS COMMUNICATING SAID BLOWER WITH SAID CHANEL, SAID BLOWER BEING MOUNTED IN A POSITION TO DRAW AIR FROM SAID CHANNEL, AND MEANS DISCHARGING EFFLUENT FROM SAID BLOWER. 